Medicare Supplement

Same Plan G, eight insurers in Buffalo: what actually changes across them

BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you are shopping for a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy in Buffalo, here is the piece most people miss: a Plan G is a Plan G. The benefits inside any lettered Medigap plan are set by federal law, so the coverage you get from one insurer's Plan G is identical to another insurer's Plan G. What actually differs from company to company is how they price that plan, how often those prices change, whether they offer household discounts, and — outside of your protected enrollment windows — whether they will underwrite you at all.

Buffalo sits in Erie County, and Medicare.gov's Medigap policy search lists eight insurers selling supplement policies to residents in ZIP 14201. The table below lists every insurer and the plan letters each one offers. This article walks through what to compare once you have that list in hand.

The same letter is the same coverage

This is the rule that makes Medigap easier to shop than almost any other kind of insurance. The federal government standardized these plans, so Plan G at one company pays the same share of your Medicare-covered costs as Plan G at another. Plan N is Plan N. A high-deductible G is a high-deductible G.

That means when you compare insurers, you are not comparing benefits. You are comparing the business behind the benefits.

How Medigap is priced (and why New York is different)

Nationally, insurers use one of three methods to set Medigap premiums:

• Community-rated: everyone with the same plan pays the same base premium, regardless of age.
• Issue-age rated: your premium is based on the age you were when you bought the policy, and does not go up just because you get older.
• Attained-age rated: your premium is based on your current age, so it typically rises as you age.

New York requires community rating for Medigap. That is a consumer protection: an 80-year-old in Buffalo is not charged more for the same plan than a 66-year-old, based on age alone. Premiums can still change over time due to medical inflation and claims experience — they just are not tied to your birthday.

Rate history matters more than today's rate

Because premiums can rise year to year, one of the smartest things a Buffalo shopper can do is ask about rate history. Two insurers can quote similar prices this year and diverge sharply three years from now.

The New York State Department of Financial Services publishes Medigap rate information, and you can also ask any agent for a carrier's recent rate change history. What you want to see is whether increases have been steady and modest, or lumpy and steep.

Household discounts and other credits

Some insurers offer a household discount — a small percentage off the premium when more than one adult in the home has a policy with that company, or sometimes when you simply live with another adult. Rules vary by insurer and by state, so ask directly whether the discount is available in New York, how much it is, and what qualifies.

Not every carrier offers one. It is worth asking each of the eight insurers listed for Buffalo whether a household or spousal credit applies to you.

Underwriting: when insurers can say no

This is the part that catches people off guard. During your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that start when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B — insurers in New York must sell you any Medigap plan they offer, at their standard rate, regardless of your health. That is guaranteed issue.

New York also gives residents broader ongoing guaranteed-issue rights than many states, but the specifics depend on your situation (for example, dropping a Medicare Advantage plan within a certain window, or losing other coverage). Outside of a guaranteed-issue window, an insurer may use medical underwriting and can decline you or charge more based on health history.

If you are thinking about switching from one Medigap insurer to another in Buffalo, ask up front whether underwriting applies to your situation before you cancel anything.

Which insurers sell Medigap in Buffalo

The eight insurers listed in the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search for New York, in alphabetical order, are:

• AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York
• BANKERS CONSECO LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
• BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York
• EmblemHealth Services Company
• Globe Life Insurance Company of New York
• Humana (Humana Insurance Company of New York)
• Mutual of Omaha (Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company)
• Univera Healthcare West New York

Not every insurer sells every plan letter. The table below shows which plans each one offers. If you already know you want Plan G, or Plan N, or a high-deductible G, that table tells you which of the eight are even in the running.

How to actually compare

A simple, honest comparison for Buffalo readers looks like this:

1. Decide which plan letter fits your situation (G and N are the most commonly chosen among people newly eligible today; the full list of letters open to new enrollees is A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N). 2. From the table, list the insurers that sell that letter. 3. Ask each one — or a licensed agent who works with all of them — for a current premium, the rate change history for that plan in New York, and any household discount you may qualify for. 4. Confirm whether medical underwriting applies to your enrollment.

Since the benefits inside the letter are identical, that short checklist is the real comparison.